Shawarma for Everybody

Posted on February 24, 2016

“Shawarma” (spellings vary) is an Arabic version of the Turkish word for “turning,” the traditional cooking method in which seasoned cuts of beef or lamb roast slowly for hours on a large vertical rotisserie.

Seasoned, slow-roasted meat, shaved thin and rolled into a flatbread sandwich with crunchy salad and some sauce — what’s not to like? Unless, of course, you don't eat meat.

The good news is that with the right Middle Eastern spices, you can make stovetop shawarma in minutes using thinly-sliced meat, poultry or meatless ingredients such as seitan and mushrooms.

Each shawarma shop has its own, carefully-guarded secret spice formula, but turmeric and especially cardamom are the key elements in every blend. No matter where it’s prepared, cardamom is always at the heart of shawarma’s distinctive flavor.

We make our shawarma seasoning with allspice, cardamom, coriander, cumin, roasted garlic, sea salt, turmeric and white pepper, and add it to stir-fried mushrooms and seitan for a vegan delight. No rotisserie needed!